APUA 2019 Summer Internship Programme ends on high note

By Makeida Antonio The 8th Annual APUA Summer Internship Programme (SIP) came to an end yesterday and all stakeholders have reported another successful year. Joelle Edwards, who took home many awards for teamwork and public speaking, shared the experiences of the interns during the six-week programme which involved several departments within the organization. “Every Friday was a new series of topics to learn such as health and safety, how to conduct yourself in the workplace, usage of social media, your rights and responsibilities as an employee, public speaking and so much more,” she said during her closing ceremony remarks. Edwards highlighted the bonding experienced among her colleagues will be a memory she will never forget. “Each week, was a new opportunity for us to come together, whereever our departments were and to bond with each other, creating long lasting friendships. We laughed together, we cried together, we cheered together, we even got confused together. We experienced every type of emotion as one unit.” Foreign Affairs Minster E.P. Chet Greene, who happens to be a parent of one of the interns, said he has made an appeal to Cabinet to facilitate the expansion of the APUA programme. “I think I want to at this stage give full marks to APUA on this programme, albeit I think a number of youngsters who are seeking internships for the summer that I would wish to impress upon the management and the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda to expand this programme further,” he indicated during an exclusive interview with OBSERVER media. Greene believes that this highly competitive programme would be extremely beneficial to the country’s youth if the opportunity could be made widely available. “It’s not even about being absorbed by APUA, but rather putting them in an environment which is conducive to learning and APUA is easily one of the better organisations in Antigua and Barbuda, public or private and so a double of the numbers might be a worthy consideration,” he said. APUA’s General Manager Esworth Martin extended congratulations to the “Fabulous Thirteen” SIP committee members and staff who would have been a part of a challenging yet rewarding professional development experience. While the interns expressed heartbreak that SIP came to an end, Martin encouraged them to readjust their attention on their educational goals. “Some of you approaching me about work, I’m not hiring you. You’re going back to school because once you start to work, you’re not going back to school. I want you to go to school and if I can attend university, you can too,” Marin said. The 2019 APUA Summer Internship Programme facilitated the professional development of 13 young adults who have pursuits in tertiary education.